Hofheinz, Augusta, House

Among the handful of monumental Colonial Revival houses in San Marcos, the Augusta Hofheinz House is particularly notable for its dramatic vertical lines. The high and narrow design is accented with colossal Corinthian columns. Augusta Hofheinz was the widow of an early hotel owner.

Daniel Hofheinz had built the town's first real hotel in 1887. To supply his hotel's dining room, he constructed extensive gardens, some of the stone terrace walls of which remain on the north edge of the city. His wife, Augustus Voges Hofheinz, ran a millinery shop in the hotel. Following Mr. Hofheinz's death in 1903, his widow had the imposing house on West Hopkins built by Mead and Eastwood Lumber Company, with Horace Leffingwell as contractor. Mrs. Hofheinz's son Walter supervised construction.

During this period, the West Hopkins Street area was becoming a popular residential section for well-established citizens. Mrs. Hofheinz's home towered over the neighborhood, however, because of its height. The use of many classical motifs also made it a particularly dignified structure.
The handwork displayed in the construction is exceptionally fine. For example, the ceiling is coffered, and the stair is finished with ball-and-rod rails and a tiny egg-and-dart molding. The leaded-glass doors and oval windows were imported from France.

Mrs. Hofheinz lived here until she died in 1924. The next year the house was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Eugene de Steigher, a wealthy farming family. Mr. and Mrs. Bob Kercheville bought it in 1952. The present owners are conducting careful rehabilitation.